PORTLAND, Ore. – One look at Keith Jardine’s face, sliced open and a bloody mess on Saturday, and it was obvious his opponent was more than just some jiu-jitsu player looking to latch onto an arm.

Though Roger Gracie (5-1 MMA, 3-1 SF) couldn’t submit Jardine (17-11-2 MMA, 0-2-1 SF) at “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy,” and even got a little bit of a late challenge from him, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he’s looking forward to giving the middleweight a chance to move up the ladder.

“He’s by far the No. 1 grappler in that weight class,” Coker said. “Let’s see how he progresses – we’re going to get him some more fights.”

The middleweight main-card bout took place at Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore. The fight aired on Showtime following prelims on Showtime Extreme.

Coker said Gracie showed a fuller set of MMA skills than he has displayed in the past.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve really seen Roger perform as a complete MMA guy,” Coker said. “You saw some striking, some good ground striking with the elbows, and even some standup. But I think he improved greatly tonight from what I saw in the past.”

Gracie said he struggled with his weight cut for the fight, which left him a little gassed late in the fight. But he, too, is ready to get tested.

“This fight with Keith was very important to me, especially considering all the tough guys he has fought and beaten throughout his career,” Gracie said. “I think what I’ve learned most from this fight is that I need to cut the weight right from here on out. I fell off in the third round because I left too much weight to cut on Friday.

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